Rep. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) called out congressional Democrats for not living under the same laws of Obamacare they had voted to impose on the American public Tuesday on the House floor.
"We offered to delay it for merely one year when the President has delayed so many parts of it himself. Yet the Senate rejected every one of those compromises," Cotton said. "And now, we have simply said, 'If Obamacare is such an amazing success story, then the Members of Congress and Senators and their staffers should live under the laws they impose on the American people.'"
Full statement:
TOM COTTON: Regrettably, the government has shut down because of the stubborn party line votes of the Senate Democrats. The House Republicans have acted reasonably and responsibly to act on two simple principles. The government should be funded, and the American people should get relief from Obamacare. We have repeatedly made reasonable and responsible compromises. We couldn't repeal Obamacare, so we offered to defund it. We offered to delay it for merely one year when the President has delayed so many parts of it himself. Yet the Senate rejected every one of those compromises. And now, we have simply said, "If Obamacare is such an amazing success story, then the Members of Congress and Senators and their staffers should live under the laws they impose on the American people." Yet that's not enough for the Senate Democrats. They would rather keep their special exemption from Obamacare than keep the government open. When I'm asked, "When will the government reopen?", the answer is very simple: when the United States Senate puts the national interest ahead of their personal financial interest.